

THE EARLIEST WILD 

 FLOWER 



March jist 



T is now within a few hours of the 

 1st of April, and already the har- 

 binger spring blossom has bloomed 

 in the woods perhaps a week or 

 more ago. What name shall we 

 give it? What is the earliest blos- 

 som the earliest New England blos- 

 som ? True, there is the skunk-cab- 

 bage pioneer down in the bog, which 

 we found some three weeks ago though 

 only after the bees had given us the hint and already 

 discovered it several days in advance of us and which 

 has now seen its best days. But by common human 

 consent this plebeian does not count, even though 



